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Post by mamaleh on Dec 8, 2015 12:02:23 GMT -5
Caught a preview of SCHOOL OF ROCK. It had loads of charm and a lead performance by Alex Brightman (probably not related to Sarah Brightman, famously the ex of the show's co-creator Andrew Lloyd Webber), who proves infinitely likable and endlessly energetic. Add a bunch of talented kids who thankfully avoid being cutesy-poo, and despite some hackneyed situations and stereotypes (the parents don't understand the kids, the friend's girlfriend is a harridan, the school principal is buttoned up until she lets loose), it's a fairly entertaining and fun 2-1/2 hours. The opening song, "I'm Too Hot for You," is great fun and showcases Brightman's athleticism. Chances are you'll be humming "Stick It to the Man" after the curtain rings down.
Note: I didn't win the lottery ($27 for first row orchestra) but opted for a "lottery loser" seat ($37). We "losers" were placed on the side in the mezz, but I was able to move to first row mezz center for Act II, which afforded a perfect view. Those who are bothered by strobe lights, be warned.
Ellen
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Post by mamaleh on Dec 24, 2015 10:15:19 GMT -5
THESE PAPER BULLETS is an Off-B'way musical mashup of Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (my favorite play of his) and Monty Python-type sketches, with a deliciously tasty dash of early Beatles pastiche songs by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. Justin Kirk stars as Ben, a member of The Quartos, a mop-topped singing group in 1964 London, who is at odds with fashion guru Bea (get it?). Some of the dialogue is directly lifted from MUCH ADO, and the songs truly sound as if they could have been tracks on the first few Beatles albums. This show received a few brickbats from critics, but I found it funny and tuneful--and I love seeing Justin Kirk on stage.
I won the $40 lottery to ON YOUR FEET last night. I'm afraid I can't join in on the FEET bandwagon. I don't regret seeing it, as the upbeat, energetic, Cuban-influenced numbers were superbly danced and sung; I just wish there were more of the Miami Sound Machine's big hits. Ana Villafane as Gloria Estefan is very talented, and I loved seeing Andrea Burns (IN THE HEIGHTS) as her mom. But too much of the action is slogged down by cliches, stereotypes and dreary songs that bored me. Josh Segarra, as her husband Emilio, spoke too softly and with such a thick Cuban accent (the director should have toned it down) that he was often indecipherable. People around me were screaming in wild approbation, so my lukewarm "sort of like" may be a minority opinion.
Ellen
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Post by mamaleh on Dec 28, 2015 12:51:39 GMT -5
TRIP OF LOVE was a trip, all right. It probably pays to be a little buzzed if you see this Off-B'way musical at Stage 42 (formerly the Little Shubert) because otherwise you might pay attention and think about walking out. There's only the barest plotline holding together a few dozen '60s pop hits, including numerous psychedelic numbers. The admittedly tasteful semi-nudity in at least one number made me think this might do well as a sit-down show in a Vegas lounge. The female lead has a babyish voice that reminded me of the worst aspects of Kristin Chenoweth without her charm. Better to stick to the old '45s.
Ellen
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 4, 2016 13:46:44 GMT -5
I loved the new Roundabout revival of NOISES OFF, the maniacal farce now at the American Airlines Theater. The cast of this British farce-within-a-farce are all top notch, especially Andrea Martin, Megan Hilty and David Furr, whose acrobatics require split-second timing to result in laughs, not injury. You will never look at a plate of sardines quite the same again. Much, much better than the Carol Burnett movie version.
I managed to snag a $20 on-stage seat at the latest revival of A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE. Much as I liked the last one, starring Liev Schreiber, Scarlett Johansson (Tony winning) and Jessica Hecht, this British production, transferred from London, is lean, mean and spare, all of which ably serve to make the play even more intense. Mark Strong (KINGSMEN, TINKER TAILOR and the memorable bad guy in the first Downey SHERLOCK HOLMES) is superlative as the Brooklyn longshoreman who's a little too close to his niece. The rest of the cast--a few accent difficulties aside--are just as up to speed. The climax and ending take your breath away.
Ellen
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jo
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Post by jo on Jan 4, 2016 14:58:03 GMT -5
Thanks for your theatre comments once again, Ellen  Re the British cast of VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE - English actors seem to excel in both mediums ( stage and films). I think it's partly because there are still many opportunities for them in movies that are not always of the blockbuster variety of American films. Look at Eddie Redmayne -- many are unaware that he has won an Olivier and a Tony for a featured role in RED. My favorite has always been Vanessa Redgrave although I have never seen her onstage. But I loved the movies she has been in when she became much older. Plus, like Eddie, she can also sing ( Camelot). They also tend to take on a variety of roles ( Eddie will soon be seen in a fantasy movie based on a story written by the Harry Potter author). Another stage star, Benedict Cumberach ( relatively fresh from his Hamlet success) is now doing another unusual movie, Dr. Strange. Of course many know him as Sherlock Holmes. Let's not forget Maggie Smith and Judi Dench and so on... Even the grande dame of Broadway, Angela Lansbury, is English by birth! Maybe these are the same kind of genes that Hugh inherited from his English ancestors, which are demonstrated in his versatility and strong presence in both stage and film? Jo |
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Post by JH4HJ on Jan 11, 2016 11:22:51 GMT -5
Hamilton - you can watch the Press Reel for the show online CLICK HERE. |
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 20, 2016 15:54:53 GMT -5
Valerie, in the fall PBS will air a documentary about the making of HAMILTON. I'm looking forward to that.
Ellen
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Post by mamaleh on Jan 20, 2016 16:04:42 GMT -5
Manhattan Theater Club's latest mainstage production, OUR MOTHER'S BRIEF AFFAIR, has a number of funny lines by playwright Richard (TAKE ME OUT, THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES) Greenberg, but the real reason to see this mildly entertaining comedy is Linda Lavin as an elderly Long Island widow. Her dialogue delivery is deliciously dry as she drives her middle-aged son and daughter crazy while lying on her (latest) deathbed. What she chooses to reveal this time leaves them speechless: could she really have had an affair with a notorious character from the early '50s? It's not a must-see, but you could do worse.
Ellen
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Post by mamaleh on Feb 3, 2016 12:58:38 GMT -5
MISERY has been around for months, but I only just caught it last night, mostly because it was an Actors Fund benefit. (Joanna Gleason was waiting on line to enter the ladies' room as I exited.) Despite the flaws in probability--could someone as slightly built as Laurie Metcalf (as nurse/tormenter Annie Wilkes) successfully haul someone the size and weight of Bruce Willis (as the trapped author) up a snowbank during a storm or nearly successfully fight with him after his recovery? Would a supposedly intelligent author move things around in Annie's kitchen and forget to put them back, thereby signaling his movements? How could someone with her mental issues function as a hospital nurse, especially who was obviously stealing drugs from the pharmacy?--I still had a fairly enjoyable evening. Metcalf (ROSEANN, THE BIG BANG THEORY's Sheldon's mom) is as fruit loops as the cereal in her disheveled cabinets. Her portrayal is very different from that of Kathy Bates in the film--in fact, Metcalf is often very funny, alternating with shocking scenes of her psychotic actions. I kept wondering whether anyone would realistically be so cool and unperturbed at being on the receiving end of constant acts of physical violence as Willis; but that, I think, is the fault of the director. It's been a while since I've seen the movie, but even if you've seen it recently, there are bits to savor and think about.
Ellen
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Post by mamaleh on Feb 9, 2016 10:05:01 GMT -5
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Post by mamaleh on Feb 24, 2016 10:14:21 GMT -5
SHE LOVES ME, a cupcake of a musical that premiered in 1963, is being revived by Roundabout, 20 years after it was Roundabout's first musical. I love the waltz-inflected score that's meant to sound "mittel-European" circa the mid 1930s. Set in a Hungarian parfumerie, the show, based on the James Stewart movie THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, boasts lilting and clever songs by Bock & Harnick, whose next show was FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Zachary Levi is charming as the hapless Georg and Laura Benanti--who I think has the purest female voice on Broadway--is her unlikely "Dear Friend." The two, who work at the same shop but seem to dislike one another, exchange long letters without knowing who the other is. This is the show that includes the very difficult to sing "Ice Cream" aria, made iconic by Barbara Cook in the original. Jane Krakowski and Gavin Creel nearly steal the show as on-again, off-again lovers. SHE LOVES ME gives the term "old fashioned" a very positive aura.
Steven Pasquale and Leslie Kritzer help to make THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM, at the Roundabout/Pels, a lively, 90-minute hoot. I had never seen this show performed, even though it had several productions in the 1970s featuring, variously, Raul Julia, Kevin Kline and Barry Bostwick. Glad I made up for lost time. The bluegrass music is lively and infectious and ably performed by the cast. The dark Southern gothic fairy tale, set in the mysterious woods of the Natchez Trace, centers on the double life of Jamie Lockhart (Pasquale), a respected gentleman by day but the Bandit of the Woods by night. The staging is very clever, and the minimalist set serves the material well. Kritzer in particular is hilarious as a lascivious, greedy wife of a wealthy planter and stepmother to the young lady who turns Jamie's head. You'll want to learn to play spoons after you see it.
Ellen
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Post by mamaleh on Feb 29, 2016 10:07:40 GMT -5
THE WOODSMAN, Off-Broadway at the New World, is a fanciful tale that tells how the Tin Man of WIZARD OF OZ fame lost his heart. Told in practically no dialogue except for a short introductory explanation by the narrator, the story is carried through with the highest artistry including evocative sounds, a beautiful set, appealing young actors and amazing puppetry. Two puppet characters--visibly moved across the stage by puppeteers in much the same way as in WAR HORSE--stand out: the witch, truly scarily brought to life with grunts and moans; and a half-lion, half-bear creature that springs out from the dark. If you don't like inclusion of puppetry and only scant dialogue, stay away. But if you're looking for a haunting, chilling and mesmerizing 75 minutes of fabulous artistry, this is it.
Ellen
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Post by mamaleh on Mar 3, 2016 13:17:14 GMT -5
PRODIGAL SON is an autobiographical play about playwright/screenwriter John Patrick Shanley's (MOONSTRUCK, DOUBT) turbulent youth as an out-of-control scholarship student at a posh private prep school in New Hampshire. Self-conscious and teased about his impoverished upbringing in the Bronx, he lashes out at everyone, including faculty, incurring the wrath of the headmaster, who, although he acknowledges the boy's unique mind, wants to expel him. Still, one English teacher (Robert Sean Leonard (HOUSE, DEAD POETS SOCIETY) is firmly on his side. The interplay among the three comes to a shattering, revelatory climax. Timothee Chalamet (HOMELAND) is brilliant as the troubled teen.
Turbulence of a more physical sort is at the foundation of BLACKBIRD, an intense drama starring Jeff Daniels and Michelle Williams. Garbage, bottles, chairs and even people are tossed about on the stage at the Belasco theater with such ferocity as I've seldom seen on stage. Daniels portrays Ray, who changed his name to Peter years earlier in order to start a new life after prison. His crime? At 40 he and Williams' character Una, then all of 12 years old, embarked on an illicit relationship that ruined both their lives, but mostly hers. Fifteen years later Una has tracked him down at his workplace, and the 90-minute confrontation is visceral and spellbinding. Warning: If you sit in the front row, you may get pelted by pieces of (probably clean) garbage from an employee lunchroom, where the play takes place.
Ellen
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jo
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Post by jo on Mar 3, 2016 17:53:20 GMT -5
I did not know that Michelle has returned to Broadway, after Cabaret. I do find her to be a sensitive actress especially in roles which render her emotionally vulnerable.
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Post by mamaleh on Mar 4, 2016 0:45:43 GMT -5
She was very vulnerable in this play, masked by a false bravado. The end is shattering.
Ellen
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jo
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Post by jo on Mar 4, 2016 15:50:29 GMT -5
It brings me back to DECEPTION, which while having some plotholes, is quite a good dramatic movie of the film noir variety --  The photo is deceiving - as it seems to depict a romantic Wyatt ( and not the nasty character he was in this scene). |
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Post by mamaleh on Mar 5, 2016 2:06:46 GMT -5
"I say yeh-yeh."
Ellen
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jo
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Post by jo on Mar 12, 2016 2:07:02 GMT -5
Ellen, You might be interested in this review of BLACKBIRD by Jeremy Gerrard, resident theatre critic of DEADLINE.com -- deadline.com/2016/03/jeff-daniels-michelle-williams-blackbird-review-1201717600/It sounds shattering! And here's an interesting tidbit -- It was already in post-production since August 2015 (and presumably completed for release) and while the release date has been identified for 2016, there is no specific date set, acording to IMDB. Rooney has been pretty busy with some movies completed and in pre-production ... and two forthcoming new projects ( THE DISCOVERY, a sci-fi drama with Robert Redford and Jason Segel and the title role of MARY MAGDALENE). I wonder if there is some truth to a rumored small role in GREATEST SHOWMAN, given her busy schedule as lead in those projects. Jo |
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Post by mamaleh on Mar 12, 2016 8:52:37 GMT -5
Yes, I had heard Rooney Mara was doing a movie version of this very intense play; her star is really on the rise, isn't it? If she has a musical role in SHOWMAN, I hope she has the requisite pipes.
I'm thrilled that Ben Mendelsohn will be playing the sicko who had entered into an illicit relationship with a 12-year-old named Una when he was 40 in the film version of BLACKBIRD/UNA. But in the play, he's supposed to be currently just a few years shy of 60. Mendelsohn is actually half a year younger than Hugh. Still, like his fellow Aussie, he's a consummate actor and can pull off any age. I didn't take much note of him as the army captain in AUSTRALIA, but he was mesmerizing in ANIMAL KINGDOM several years ago as a member of a family of hardened criminals in Oz, and even more so in the Netflix series BLOODLINE, for which he should have won the Emmy last year. Looking forward to the movie version of BLACKBIRD.
Ellen
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jo
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Post by jo on Mar 12, 2016 9:20:45 GMT -5
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Post by mamaleh on Mar 16, 2016 23:34:07 GMT -5
SHEAR MADNESS, Off-Broadway, is sheer silly goofiness. It reminds me of dinner theater--but without the dinner. Still, it's a tasty little dollop of frenetic fun, a combination of comedy and whodunit set in a beauty parlor. The audience gets to ask the actors (all wonderful, by the way, far surmounting the material) questions and ultimately votes for the murderer. The culprit can change from performance to performance.
Ellen
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Post by mamaleh on Apr 1, 2016 12:54:05 GMT -5
Three recent Off-B'way sojourns: RUTHLESS!, a campy musical originally from the '90s that I somehow never caught, happily is back to spread more fun, jazz hands and mayhem. It's a combo of THE BAD SEED and GYPSY with a bit of ALL ABOUT EVE thrown in for good measure, as an 8-year-old claws her way to the lead in her school play. The child's mentor, played in drag, summoned up what could be the ideal love child of Harvey Fierstein and Charles Busch. Definitely go!
WIDOWER'S HOUSES is a gem by George Bernard Shaw that I'd been unfamiliar with. It's comedy about the battle of the sexes, hypocrisy, slumlords and poor people trying to gain quality housing--and it was written more than 100 years ago. Talk about still relevant! And it's well acted.
"1776," one of my favorite musicals, is back for only seven performances at City Center's Encores! through this Sunday. It's done in modern dress to make the audience realize how little has changed in American government since the Revolution. In a direct nod to HAMILTON, the cast is racially diverse. Santino Fontana, so good in ACT ONE, CINDERELLA, A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE (the Liev Schreiber-Scarlett Johansson revival) and SONS OF THE PROPHET in recent years, makes a fiery if somewhat too young John Adams. Still, William Daniels remains number one in my book. John Larroquette (NIGHT COURT) adroitly plays a libidinous Benjamin Franklin.
Ellen
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Post by mamaleh on Apr 6, 2016 13:34:13 GMT -5
AMERICAN PSYCHO is now a musical, set to a late '80s beat in high-energy, techno-style. The creator behind SPRING AWAKENING has fashioned a show that was a hit in London, now transported to the Schoenfeld, where once upon a time A STEADY RAIN held court. For those who have never read the Ellis book or seen the Bale movie, AP is a very dark satire on yuppies who worship at the shrine of trendiness, the endgame being wearing the best designer fashions, using only the right exfoliant, dining only at the place where it's impossible to get a reservation and having the most expensive-looking business card. The score is so-so, with a couple of exceptions--not counting the interpolations of a few '80s hits such as "Hip to Be Square" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." Yes, the chainsaw is in evidence, along with plenty of knives--only one of which is used on a birthday cake. Because the score is mediocre at best, what saves the show are the electric, kinetic staging and the performance of star Benjamin Walker as bad boy investment banker Patrick Bateman. Walker, who shone in BLOODY, BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON and as Brick in the recent semi-recent revival of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, is captivating and in great voice in a difficult role. It doesn't hurt, either, that the attractive former husband of Meryl Streep's daughter Mamie is in his underwear for probably half of the show. Act I is much more compelling than Act II, but since it's in previews, I'm hoping the second act will soon become as toned as Walker's abs.
Ellen
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jo
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Post by jo on Apr 6, 2016 18:54:58 GMT -5
LOL - my bad - I have always thought it was the real PSYCHO ( aka Norman Bates) whose story was being musicalized. Thanks, Ellen, for your thoughts. Btw, why are investment bankers always thought of as occasionally bad boys  Is it because they are more intriguing characters than the "staid" commercial bankers  It is not easy to work out a fantastic deal - but the rewards are very satisfying when the deal is done! Jo |
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Post by mamaleh on Apr 11, 2016 12:59:10 GMT -5
Saw the new musical WAITRESS the other day via standing room. Now in previews, it's a true bargain at $32, as it's an easy lean on a railing abutting the last row of the orchestra, and affording an unobstructed view. I'm not the biggest fan of wail-filled, southern-fried country music, even by Sara Bareilles, so I tended to like those lugubrious songs the least (plus the twangy singing of them made some lyrics difficult to decipher)---but there are enough upbeat, character-enhancing numbers to provide some pleasure. Jessie Mueller, deservedly a Tony winner for BEAUTIFUL a couple of seasons ago, is equally wonderful and tugs at the heart as a pregnant waitress trapped in a loveless marriage. (The story is based on the Keri Russell-Nathan Fillion movie written by the late Adrienne Shelly.)
The American Medical Association may not look well on the idea of an OB-GYN having a "close" relationship with a patient, but the actor portraying the neurotic doc, Drew Gehling, was thoroughly charming; he reminded me of a young Tony Perkins. Also delightful were Christopher Fitzgerald and Kimiko Glenn (the young Asian inmate in ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK) as an unlikely couple; their wedding scene put a big smile on my face. Nick Cordero, whom I loved as the gangster playwright in BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, has the thankless role of Jessie's immature and controlling redneck husband, and does a good job as the piece's villain. But the biggest scene stealer is Keala Settle, who played the Bearded Lady in a workshop for Hugh's GREATEST SHOWMAN film--hope she gets to be in the eventual real thing. As snappy waitress Becky, she is full of life and has a powerhouse voice, which I first enjoyed in the musical HANDS ON A HARDBODY. When she's on stage, she dominates the proceedings.
I'd give it a solid B, but fans of country-tinged music might be more effusive. Warning, though--you will undoubtedly crave a piece of pie after the show!
Ellen
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